Portret van een man met bril, genaamd Hendriks c. 1912

Floris Arntzenius made this portrait of a man with glasses named Hendriks with chalk, I think, sometime in 1912. It’s kind of wonderful how Arntzenius captures Hendriks’ likeness with such a light touch. Look at the way he uses these soft, smudgy lines to suggest the contours of Hendriks’ face. It's all about capturing a fleeting impression, like a memory fading at the edges. The texture of the paper plays a big role here, doesn’t it? You can almost feel the graininess, which adds to the sense of intimacy. And see how the darkest marks are around the coat and the glasses, like these solid shapes are keeping the portrait in place. I’m reminded of Whistler, another artist who knew how to make simplicity sing, although I find something very modern about this. The work has the feel of an unfinished thought, and I think that's part of its appeal. It leaves you wondering, and maybe that's the point.